Max Arkitekter was challenged to create a space of intimacy in contrast with the grandeur of Sjöviksskolan School located in Stockholm, Sweden.

Within the large-scale context of Stockholm’s new urban area Liljeholmen one of the city’s largest schools is situated, Sjöviksskolan. The exterior has a grandeur connecting to its context, while the interiors are intimate, rich, and welcoming. The two buildings of the school encircle a sheltered school yard, which opens to a nature park to the north and a small neighbourhood park to the south. The school is placed in a steep slope, which creates a souterrain storey beneath the school yard, connecting the two buildings below ground to a whole, and hiding its large sports hall. The souterrain facade faces the neighbourhood park.

The facades of the buildings are clad in brick, coloured concrete, and expanded metal. The facades are regular with small variations pertaining to the insides. The southern facades have an added skin of expanded aluminium, which provide sun shading while at the same time hiding the exterior fire escape walkways. The double facades bring visual depth and creates a play of light and shade. Sjöviksskolan is designed to be sustainable building, with layout, spaces, natural light and interiors with long lasting qualities. It is certified by the Sweden Green Building Council as an Environmental Building with Silver rating and sound materials, energy efficiency and reliable technical solutions.

Sjöviksskolan is designed to let its pupils see and be seen. Transparency and connectivity between stories create a sense of security through discreet overview. Small interior windows also help explain the large and complex building, to know what is behind the wall is both exciting and helps orientation. The large number of directions and levels have been the base of a variety of spaces, natural light, and views within the school. The long buildings and different levels have necessitated a focus on movement within the school, aiming at creating logic, safe and open logistics.

The different rooms and functions within the school have been placed to create security and calm. Older and younger students have separate entrances and buildings, but meet each day in the centrally placed dining hall, while teachers and adults have offices throughout the school. Sjöviksskolan is divided into more private settings, habitats, where groups of 120 students and their teachers reside. These smaller entities within the larger school consist of a larger flowing space at its core, connecting to rooms of different size, function, and character. These habitats contain both rooms for teaching as well as toilets, cloak rooms and staff rooms.

Sjöviksskolan is a complex building and it is a rich sensory experience to move through the school’s changing landscape of intimate and grand spaces, colour, and light. Architecture, art and interior architecture interact to generate belonging and legibility by using colour, details, patterns and materials. The school´s material palette consists of wood, in-situ cast terrazzo floors and coloured surfaces. While wood gives warmth to the spaces and a connectivity to nature the terrazzo floors are the canvas for the building’s ambitious art in architecture project by artists Bella Rune and Jonas Nobel.

Architect: Max Arkitekter
Photography: Mattias Hamrén